When waves crash
on a beach they transmit acoustical energy in a
spring-like
motion
through the air that arrives in the ear as sound.
A crashing wave causes air molecules to
compress and then rarefact into neighboring air molecules.
This
compression rarefaction cycle continues until the sound waves
terminate in the ear or fade away.

The
Ear
In
route to the brain, the ear converts compressions and rarefactions of
air molecules into neuron discharges. The
compressions/rarefactions enter at the pinna, the ear's
directional
encoder. They proceed into the auditory canal, the ear’s
resonating acoustic amplifier. At the exit of the
auditory canal the 'resonations' beat on an acoustic
barrier, the eardrum.

The
resonating 'drum' mechanically links with the hammer, anvil,
and stirrup of themiddle ear's next boundary, the oval
window of
the inner ear. All of this
mechanical action activates the fluid sack of the
inner
ear,
the final chamber.

The
compressions and rarefactions of the inner ear fluid
stimulate hair-like nerve terminals in the inner ear sack. The
shifting hair-like nerves of the inner ear generate neuron
discharges that finally convey signals to the brain that produce sound.

See
the Waves
Crash
on the Beach

Light
transmits energy in a spring-like motion via a
sea of electromagnetic energy into our eyes. For example, initiating
energy from the sun causes electromagnetic energy to compress and
rarefact until the energy encounters the surface of the crashing
waves. The water absorbs/filters some of the energy but the remainder is
reflected. The reflected energy initiates another
compression-rarefaction cycle that continues until the cycle
terminates in our eyes as a visible wave on the beach.

The
EyeThe eye
converts electromagnetic light into neuron discharges.
Light enters at the
window of the eye the pupil and cornea. The light then
encounters
the
focusing lens of the eye
which directs the
light to the energy
transfer point of the eye, the retina. The retina
consists of light-
sensitive antennas called cones and rods. The cones and
rods stimulate the optic nerve which produce neuron discharges to the
brain.

Review of the Wave

Frequency
Cycles/Second = Hertz = Hz Frequency describes the timbre
of sound, color of light, or a radio broadcast frequencyWavelengthWavelength
= Speed ÷ Frequency
Distance traveled by one cycle of the wave Sound
= 56.5ft to 0.678inLight
= 440nm to 770nmRadio
= fraction of an inch to several hundred yardsAmplitudeAmplitude
of the wave = powerVolume
in decibels
Brightness in lumen
Radio power in watts

Subjective
Intensity
Subjective
power of the wave
Loudness of soundLuminance
of light